Hendrik Lorentz
Developed the Lorentz transformations, which form the basis of Einstein's special relativity.
Most quoted
"One cannot escape the feeling that these mathematical formulae have an independent existence and an intelligence of their own, that they are wiser than we are, wiser even than their discoverers, that we get more out of them than was originally put into them."
— from Attributed remark
"It is not impossible that in the future we may have theories which are more general than those we now possess, and which will reduce our present theories to special cases, just as the theory of relativity has reduced the older mechanics to a special case."
— from Lectures on Theoretical Physics, 1920
"The difficulties which we encounter in the theory of electrons are largely due to the fact that we are dealing with phenomena which are on the borderland between the domain of ordinary experience and that of the infinitely small."
— from The Theory of Electrons, 1909
All quotes by Hendrik Lorentz (409)
The existence of the ether is a necessary condition for the propagation of electromagnetic waves.
The laws of optics are the same for all observers, regardless of their state of motion relative to the ether.
The energy of an electron is proportional to its mass.
The equations of Maxwell are not invariant under the Galilean transformation.
The principle of relativity is a fundamental principle of nature.
The electron is the building block of all matter.
The interaction between matter and radiation is mediated by electrons.
The propagation of light is a wave phenomenon.
The properties of the ether determine the laws of electromagnetism.
The observed phenomena are independent of the absolute motion of the system.
The concept of absolute time is an illusion.
The mass of a body is a measure of its energy content.
The laws of electromagnetism are invariant under the Lorentz transformation.
The principle of relativity is a generalization of the principle of inertia.
The ether is a medium that permeates all space.
The electron is a point charge.
The electromagnetic field carries energy and momentum.
The speed of light is constant for all observers.
The concept of absolute space has no physical meaning.
The study of nature is an infinite process; we can never say that we have reached the end.
Contemporaries of Hendrik Lorentz
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Hendrik Lorentz (1853–1928).